I'm sorry but it's an indefensible series of moves and personnel decisions. Anyone defending the past few years of Browns draft pick management is out of their ****ing mind.

Yeah, but that's the previous regime. When Lombardi took over, anything that happened previous to him joining up is just guys on the team and their contracts. Where they were drafted or what was given up to acquire them is meaningless. So he had a RB on a bad team that's going nowhere. He was offered a first round pick for a RB, and he took it. If you just look at it from that angle (which is the angle people should be giving him), it's a solid move.

Bad teams don't need runningbacks, kickers, or punters. 3 positions that are plentiful and easily acquired. The main thing with runningbacks is they don't last long, so if you've got a good one on a bad team, he probably won't be around by the time the team is good just from natural wear and tear.

I'm sorry but it's an indefensible series of moves and personnel decisions. Anyone defending the past few years of Browns draft pick management is out of their ****ing mind.

No one is defending picking a running back 3rd overall and then trading him for a mid first round pick a year later. But the actual trade of Trent Richardson for a 1st round pick, is not a bad trade for the Browns.

sorry, i'm using 'playbook' as a massive catch all. he won't know the terminology. he won't know how the line plays. he won't have time to adjust if luck has a slightly different drop back on a hand-off.

there's a reason running backs aren't 100% as effective on day 1 of the preseason as they are after a few games.

Indy has a line that plays? Big change from Cleveland!

Though he could definitely bust out on some standard run plays, I'm not saying he'll be all-world within their offense, but there's no reason he can't be a 2-down back for them straight out of the gate. Playing runningback is a really simple thing. Outside of guys that can lineup at WR (that will come with more time in the offense), nothing really changes from Pop Warner to the NFL for runningbacks. It's the reason it's so easy to find solid ones at every point in the draft... There's no intricate level of understanding or skill like with WRs. See hole, hit hole; see guy, block guy.

Yeah, it is pretty funny. My favorite part is when they moved to Baltimore, changed their name, drafted Ogden and Lewis, became a contender, and won Super Bowls. Meanwhile, Cleveland gets stuck with this new garbage franchise.

Yeah, it is pretty funny. My favorite part is when they moved to Baltimore, changed their name, drafted Ogden and Lewis, became a contender, and won Super Bowls. Meanwhile, Cleveland gets stuck with this new garbage franchise.

Really, this Browns organization is not the same Browns organization that drafted Richardson. They have a new Owner, a new CEO, a new President, a new GM, and a new HC.

The "lol Brownz" angle is fun, but a tad ignorant.

The previous owner wasn't facing a federal investigation, and I'm not sure the new front office of Lombardi and Banner will end up doing any better. Chud though does deserve a chance to prove himself while Norv has always been a very good OC.

I'm not saying that the new guys will do better (although, I doubt they could do worse). I'm just saying that they didn't draft Richardson, so it's silly to laugh at them for flipping a 3.5 ypc RB for a first round pick.

Yeah, it is pretty funny. My favorite part is when they moved to Baltimore, changed their name, drafted Ogden and Lewis, became a contender, and won Super Bowls. Meanwhile, Cleveland gets stuck with this new garbage franchise.

it's just my favorite circular argument ever. someone wants to suggest that (and i'm not pointing fingers) joe thomas is an elite LT. but then, trent richardson can't run, because his crappy LT can't ever open even a single hole. but he's actually elite, so trent richardson must suck. but he doesn't suck, so... ad infinitum, ad absurdum.

which all ignores the fact that brandon weeden is a terrific draft pick because he's nfl ready and has at least 6 years of being elite.

I dont really think you can just focus in on Richardson and Thomas in trying to figure out why their run game sucked....The OG position is the real problem here, they were already weak at the position coming into the season, and then injuries made things worse. RT Mitchell Schwartz wasnt terrible last year, but hes off to an awful start this season....But the other issue is the lack of any respect for their passing game. Brandon Weeden has been terrible, and it looks like the Browns are going to be looking at a QB next year. I thought maybe he could flourish under Norv, but its looking like that wont be the case. Getting Josh Gordon back could help, and it could also help open up the run game. But ultimately theres a lot of things wrong with this offense. Im not saying Joe Thomas (there are quite a few id take over him) is an elite left tackle, and he is better in pass protection than run defense, but you saying he never opens a hole is a little ridiculous. Put a decent QB behind him for once, and we'd probably be singing a different tune.

I think the play-action pass is an overlooked element in the running game. I can't find it right now, but a few years ago I read something about how Peyton Manning's ability to sell the play-action pass was probably dramatically improving the Colts running game. In contrast, Aaron Rodgers was comically bad at selling the play-action.